


Ink Stained Fingertips

by DinoRoar



Series: Parchments of Prompt Responses [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 4/50, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Draco Malfoy is Clueless About Muggle Things, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Fluff, Draco loves Chicken Nuggets, Draco loves Pens, Drarry, Fluff, Harry Potter is a Good Friend, Harry and Draco first kiss, Harry teaches Draco about the Muggle World, M/M, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, The Burrow (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23915023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoRoar/pseuds/DinoRoar
Summary: When Harry agreed to teach Draco about Muggles, he never expected the pureblood to become so fascinated with pens...
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: Parchments of Prompt Responses [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719328
Comments: 23
Kudos: 381





	1. Chapter 1

Months ago, Harry had been clearing up and readying himself to head home after a long day at the Ministry. He’d been packing up the last few items into the leather briefcase he had finally purchased after Hermione’s badgering that it ‘looked more professional’. He hated to admit that she was right, but it did make him look slightly more distinguished. Clasping the case shut, he was shocked at the gentle and unsure knocks against his office door, he hadn’t been expecting anyone and he was sure that most of his team had already headed home by now.

“Come in?” Harry hadn’t meant for it to come out in such a questioning manner, but he was preoccupied with rapidly through the mental list of appointments and meetings he had compiled to sound assertive. The door slowly creaked open, and Harry was shocked to see the familiar and very recognisable white hair belonging to Draco Malfoy on the other side of the door. He looked nervous and uneasy standing in the doorway of Harry’s office, usually Harry would delight in seeing Malfoy squirm slightly, but something about the lost expression on his face pulled at his heart.

“Hey Draco, come in, what can I do for you?” As much as Harry wanted to get home and curl up with his godson and listen to how his day had been, he just couldn’t bring himself to send Draco away, especially with the way he was looking right now.

“I…I didn’t know who else to ask…and I know that it’s a completely ridiculous notion, and honestly I’m a grown adult I shouldn’t need to ask this of you…” he had begun to work himself up, pacing in front of Harry’s desk as he carded a hand through his hair, ruffling it up until it was reminiscent of a cockatoo.

“Draco calm down and tell me or ask me what it is you want to know. Working yourself up like that is going to do nothing for either of us, and clearly you need my advice, or you wouldn’t be here pacing in my office at almost 6 o’clock in the evening on a Friday.” Gesturing towards the chair in front his desk, Harry sat back down behind it, preparing for what could potentially become a long night of sorting through Draco’s problems once again. 

Since the end of the war a few years previous the pair had been civil, and at some points almost friendly. They spoke when they saw each other, and they no longer outright hated each other. There had been a few times where Draco would come to Harry for help, he had struggled since the war with having to live with a permanent reminder of his actions and those of his father. It had surprised Harry how resentful he would often sound when talking about his father, but Harry had come to learn that behind his perfect mask of stoicism and pureblood pride, Draco had not had a happy childhood and was filled with hurt and anger.

They still sometimes referred to each other by their surnames, but it was no longer in spite but friendliness and amusement, although Harry had started to find him anticipating his run-ins with his ex-nemesis and could feel the fondness creeping into his voice when speaking to him. As Draco all but threw himself into the chair, sighing loudly as he did so Harry struggled to maintain his composure. Sometimes Draco did not come across as the perfect Pureblood that society expected and knew of him, instead, in this moment he was acting like a petulant and confused child. He sorely reminded Harry of his five year old godson Teddy in that moment, and it took all that Harry had not to laugh at him.

“So, what can I do for you?” he thought he should start with the most open question possible, because with Draco it could take a while for him to feel comfortable enough to finally tell him what he actually wanted.

“You know that my views surrounding…Muggleborns have changed a lot since the war, I’ve fully accepted that they’re a part of our society and belong you know? But I’m still struggling with the concept of Muggles, and I don’t want to be that way for the rest of my life Harry, I don’t.” By this point he had begun to work himself up again and started to fidget, which considering the topic was rather normal for Draco. Honestly, Harry was shocked, he had never expected that Draco would fully move past his hatred for muggles, but he supposed watching his father go to Azkaban for the rest of his life showed him how wrong he had been about his ideals. “I need you to teach me about Muggles.” Draco blurted out abruptly causing Harry to freeze in shock.

“What? Teach you about Muggles?” Harry was rarely caught off-guard anymore, but this was definitely an off-guard moment. Of all the things he had thought Draco would need help with, learning about Muggles wasn’t even on the list

“I know it sounds odd, but if I’m ever going to fully move past the way I’ve behaved and the ideals I was taught, then I need to understand where they stem from. To do that, I need you to teach me about Muggles and their world.” Draco was clinical with his words, reminding Harry that he had been seeing a Mind Healer for some time now, apparently the things he’d seen while Voldemort had been living in his house had caused permanent mental scarring.

As much as Draco didn’t want to beg, Harry could see it clearly in his expressions that he was desperate for his help. It took less than a minute for Harry to make a decision. He could appreciate how hard it must have been for Draco to go through with this and come to Harry of all people for help.

“Get your things together Draco, you’re coming for dinner with me and Teddy tonight. We’re having McDonalds, and the best introduction to the Muggle world is chicken nuggets.”

Harry had spent the past four months teaching Draco as much as he could about Muggles and their world. It had been an experience for the both of them rectifying the many preconceptions of Muggles being stupid and inept without Magic. At points, Harry could not believe how naïve and ignorant Draco had been with some of his thoughts surrounding Muggle life, but then Harry had to remind himself that it wasn’t like someone had felt the need to teach him the truth surrounding the non-Wizarding world. 

Early on they had decided to set up a kind of schedule. Every Friday Draco would come for dinner (much to Teddys delight) and they would go to different Muggle restaurants and sometimes get a takeaway. Harry had found it hilarious that the refined Pureblood had declared chicken nuggets to be his new favourite food and had yet to find anything to beat it, Teddy fully agreed with this and so Draco had become his new best friend. 

On Saturdays they would go somewhere educational, museums and tours usually, so that Draco could learn more about Muggle history specifically and the rise of technology. He had been surprised to find that in some ways, the Muggle world was more advanced than the Wizarding community with their use of technology, especially the internet and mobile phones. Finally, on a Sunday they would spend the day in a less intense environment. Sometimes they would venture of into Muggle London to do some shopping, and other days they would take Teddy down to Hyde Park for walks and to play football. Ever competitive, Draco had declared that he was the best at the sport and Harry had no issue going along with this just to see the joy on his face as he scored a goal. 

As nervous as Draco had originally been to explore the Muggle world, Harry had to give him points for throwing himself in completely refusing to admit that sometimes it was a bit much for him. While some things just weren’t his cup of tea, he had not appreciated the trip to Madame Tussauds and all of the statues, others he found to be interesting and had no problem with fully immersing himself in the culture surrounding him.

One Muggle concept that Draco had been truly fascinated by, was pens. 

It had been a dreary and wet Sunday, nothing to write home about, but the pair had chosen to venture out anyways and do a bit of shopping in Muggle London before the Christmas period took over completely. Knowing that Teddy had developed a love for colouring at the moment, Harry had decided to purchase him a children’s art set, filled with different coloured pens and pencils for Christmas that year. 

“Let’s go in there, I can grab a Christmas present for Teddy and show you a couple of Muggle things that you might like,” Harry had pointed to the closest stationery shop on the high-street, it was one that he recognised from his early years when Petunia would go Back to School shopping for Dudley. Walking inside Harry was glad to see that they still sold what he needed and there were clear signs leading to the art supplies he would need, along with a sign to the section he planned to let Draco wild in.

“These are pens, kind of like quills, except the ink is already inside them so you don’t have to dip a nib in any ink to write. There’s loads of kinds, why don’t you try them out?” Harry had expected him to be cautiously curious of the new Muggle object, and quickly darted off to the art section to pick out Teddys gift before heading back to find his companion. Harry wasn’t sure what he expected to find once he returned, but he definitely didn’t think he would find Draco sat on the floor in the middle of the aisle surrounded by a multitude of stationery items.

“Harry, there are so many varieties look!” at some point Draco had managed to find a little notebook, which Harry made a note to pay for at the checkout and had begun testing the different pens he had found. He had clearly tested out multiple options, from ink pens, to biros, a couple of highlighters had been added to the mix, and Harry noticed him clutching a rather fancy and expensive fountain pen in his hand.

“I take it you’re having fun then?” Harry spoke dryly but there was fondness in his voice as he gazed at the man before him. He had never thought that he would see Draco Malfoy so excited about something as simple as a Muggle pen, but it was amazing to see the way he had opened up immediately. 

“Look at the way they flow on this paper, much less scratchy then a quill and parchment Harry! These will be so much easier to take to work, do you know how convenient this will be not having to lug around pots of ink, so ingenious” Draco couldn’t stop rambling as they headed to the self-checkout. Unsurprisingly, Draco had decided to purchase one in almost every colour and had included a range of styles, the start of what would become a large collection Harry felt. 

It was as they left the store, shopping bags in hand that Draco said it, “we should buy everyone a pen for Christmas Harry, they’re amazing. Ooh, do you think the Weasley’s will like them? I’m sure Mr Weasley would be thrilled with them!” It was right then that Harry had realised how much Draco had come to meant to him in the past few months and how close the two had become. It was right there that Harry had realised that somehow, he had managed to fall in love with Draco Malfoy.

It was right there in the middle of Muggle London on a dreary and wet Sunday that Harry kissed Draco for the first time. It wouldn’t be the last.


	2. Whispers of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Draco spend Christmas at the Weasleys...

Ever since the war had ended Harry had spent Christmas with the Weasleys. He would spend the earliest parts of Christmas morning with Teddy and Andromeda and then he would floor to the Burrow with his godson tucked against him as Andromeda went to visit her husband and daughters graves. Harry and Teddy would open presents with the Weasleys once everyone had managed to arrive, somebody was always late depending on which child had decided to cause havoc that year, and then they would sit down for a Christmas feast. At the request of Molly, she had finally jinxed Harry until he promised to stop calling her Mrs Weasley, Andromeda would join them for the Christmas lunch and then would leave with Teddy in the late afternoon to spend some quality time with her grandson.

It was tradition, and for Harry who had never experienced a good Christmas with the Dursleys, it was one of the highlights of his year. Yet he had been willing to give it up this year so that he could spend Christmas with his boyfriend Draco. There was tension and bad blood between the Weasleys and Malfoys, Harry was sure there always would be. Draco had thrown himself into learning about Muggles and rectifying his mistakes, and that had included apologising to every Weasley member he could for his behaviour, but it wasn't something that could fix itself overnight. Harry was fully aware of that.

When Molly had checked whether he would be there for Christmas dinner, an unnecessary formality by this point as Harry was there every year, he had for the first time ever paused before replying.

"I…I'm not sure I will be Molly." She was hurt, rightfully so, and Harry quickly continued to explain himself before there was any permanent damage to their relationship. "It's just that it will be my first Christmas with Draco, and I know that not everyone is supportive of our relationship, and I completely understand that. I don't want to ruin your Christmas with any tension, but I don't want him to have to spend Christmas alone or work through it, you see. So, we'll probably just go out for dinner and have a quiet Christmas at Grimmauld Place."

As he explained Molly's face changed and her eyes began to tear up, knowing that Harry had not been malicious in deciding not to spend Christmas with them, but in fact just wanted to make sure they all had an enjoyable time. Straightening herself up she decided that wouldn't do, no, Harry was not going to spend Christmas in Grimmauld Place, and even the thought of him going to a restaurant for a Christmas dinner was unacceptable!

"Harry James Potter, you will be at the Burrow for Christmas day. The same time as usual, and you will be bringing your godson and boyfriend with you, I will not have you spending Christmas away from the family. Anyone that has a problem with it can discuss it with me." Giving him no chance to argue she gave him a pat to the cheek and a kiss on the forehead before flooing away, leaving him stood there, stunned and slightly confused. It looked like he was going to have to explain to Draco that their plans had changed and wouldn't that be an experience to look forward to.

Surprisingly, Draco had taken the news that they were spending Christmas at the Burrow rather well, he hadn't even whined one bit, which had put Harry slightly on edge at first. Thinking back on it, Harry supposed that Draco understood how much the Weasleys meant to Harry and wanted to show how much he cared by putting the effort in. So, the plan was made, Draco would spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with his mother while Harry was exchanging gifts with Andromeda and Teddy. Draco would then floo to his aunts to meet Harry and Teddy where they would then head to the Weasleys together. Teddy was probably the most excited about this arrangement, having become exceptionally close to Draco, who he had declared was his best friend to Harry one day.

\---

To Harry, it was a bit of a blur in the lead up to Christmas Day. He'd made sure that all presents had been purchased in advance, and he had employed Draco to help him with the wrapping. Draco had swiftly taken it over and kicked Harry out of the room when he realised how little Harry actually cared for wrapping presents. Draco however, seemed to be the perfect gift wrapper, every present was neat and tidy with bows and curled ribbon placed artfully on top. Perfectly written gift tags (in Draco's best calligraphy and not Harrys mess of a scrawl) were placed upon each gift with a permanent sticking charm to ensure there were no errors. The presents were placed inside the gift bags Harry had grabbed the last time he'd gone into London and placed next to the fireplace ready for him to floo with them come Christmas morning.

Harry had never given out such perfect looking gifts, and he felt that it was almost a shame that they were going to be ripped open in seconds, but it made Draco happy to put the effort in and Harry was more than happy to indulge him. With Draco at his side and Teddy swapping between sitting in their laps and bounding around the room to inspect the many presents being given out, it was the perfect Christmas at the Weasleys, and one that he had never imagined before.

There had been awkwardness and tension when they had flooed in together, but just as Molly Weasley had promised, no one has said anything about Draco's presence at the Burrow. Sure, there had been a few side eyes and glances shared between the Weasleys and Hermione, but no one had said anything outright. Draco, bless him, refused to acknowledge the tension and placed his focus completely on Teddy and Harry, making sure that they were both enjoying themselves and having the best time possible.

Every time Teddy unwrapped a present, he would present it to Draco for his opinion, and Draco made sure to give the appropriate response of excitement, before asking questions about what he wanted to do with each of his presents. Finally, everyone had given out their presents except for Draco, who suddenly adopted a shy and tentative attitude as he fiddled with the ribbons on a few of the gifts. There was one large box, wrapped in bright green paper with little golden snitches flittering across the surface that Draco handed to Teddy.

"You have to wait for everyone to get theirs before you open it though, because I need you to be my helper. Can you do that for me?" Draco murmured softly to the small boy on his lap who was bouncing with excitement, his eyes fixated on the box with his name on it.

"Teddy can do that!" He handed the present carefully to Harry and with Draco's help handed out the rest of the presents to the Weasleys and Hermione. They all held the presents, admiring the professional wrapping that had been all Draco and the beautifully written gift tags.

"It isn't much, but I thought you might like them. Although, I have a feeling that Mr, Weasley will like it the most." Draco tentatively spoke, gripping Harrys hand within his own, anxiety flowing through his body as he prepared himself for them to open their presents. At the same time, Harry could tell that Draco was excited for them to open their gifts so he could see their reactions to the gifts he'd put much thought into.

Thus, began the mixture of gentle peeling and full-on ripping of wrapping paper. Mrs Weasley, Fleur and Hermione in particular were very carefully peeling away the spellotape and unwinding the ribbons, placing them to the side to keep for later. Ron didn't even pause to look at the paper as he ripped the present open, George following along in a similar fashion. Draco had gone down the same route for everyone, but slightly different.

For Mrs Weasley, he had found a beautiful suede forest green recipe journal and had embossed her name upon the front in a shimmering gold thread, accompanied with a beautiful metallic fountain pen. Mr Weasley had a smart black leather work planner, once again embossed with his name and the added addition of his work title in gold, accompanied by a few fountain pens of different inks.

Bill, Charlie and Percy had received the same as their father, with their individual names on the front, each in a different colour that suited their personalities. Ron and George also had planners, but theirs were specifically for joke creations, in Chudley Cannons orange for Ron and the toxic purple of the Weasley Wizard Wheezes logo for George. Fleur had received a beautiful suede journal in an identical shade of powder blue as her old Beauxbatons uniform with her name engraved in silver calligraphy. Hermione's was the largest, a thick planner with individual fold-out to-do lists and mini planners and a small calendar too. Finally, Ginny had received a reporters journal, as she had mentioned wanting to move into Quidditch reporting at some point, it was the same shade of red as her hair and her name was inscribed on the front in Gryffindor gold.

While it was the journals or planners that looked the most magnificent and thoughtful, what with them being personalised and selected to fit each individual they were gifted to, it was the broad range of pens that Draco had included in the gifts that he took the most pride in. it was also the first thing that Mr Weasley picked up on after everyone had given their thanks for the gift, the atmosphere turning much warmer after they effort Draco had made was revealed.

"What are these shiny things Draco? Wouldn't you usually pair a quill with something that involves writing?" Hermione immediately opened her mouth to begin what was likely to become an in depth and historically founded lecture on pens and where they stemmed from, but Draco beat her to it.

"They're called pens Mr Weasley! They're a Muggle creation that Harry showed me, and they are quite brilliant," with that Draco was of. He was explaining to them how there were different types of pens, and how they all had different nibs and could be used for different jobs, "the best part is that the ink is inside them in a little chamber, so you don't have to carry ink and a well around with you!"

"How amazing is that! So convenient too!" Draco had found a friend in Mr Weasley at that point as they delved into a deep conversation on the different inventions they had found in the Muggle world that would be much more useful than their Wizarding counterpart. For a while Percy and Bill joined in, and Harry could see George marvelling at the pen as he made rapid notes in his new journal on what could only be more Muggle inspired inventions. Molly Weasley watched as her husband was enraptured in the inner workings of a pen with slight exasperation, but overwhelming fondness at the same time.

"Uncle Harry look" Draco got me a little broom!" All eyes turned to Teddy as he yelled in joy and Harry looked down at his lap to see him holding a small training broom. He had decided against getting him one himself as he wasn't sure whether Andromeda would be okay with it, plus it was a rather expensive gift, but then he should have expected nothing less from Draco.

"Really Draco? What is Andromeda going to say when she sees this?" It was the long suffering tone to his voice that drew a grin out of his boyfriend as a mildly smug tone crept into his voice while explaining.

"I already asked her in advance, she said that she had no problem with it as long as we kept him accompanied and made sure that we use cushioning charms. Come on Harry, I was his age when I first learnt to fly, he'll love it, wont you Teddy?" The little boy was grinning as he bounded over to Draco and gave him the biggest hug he could with such small arms.

"I can't wait!"

\---

Hours later as everyone had settled down and began to relax after eating the huge and delightful feast that Mrs Weasley had pulled out all the stops on, Harry was in the kitchen doing the dishes by hand. Molly hated it but Harry always made her sit down with a cup of tea as he did the washing up on Christmas Day, his thank you to her for always welcoming him into their family.

Draco was in the living room with the rest of the Weasleys and a worn out and tired Teddy snuggled on his lap as he excitably discussed the Muggle world with Mr Weasley and even the older Weasley sons who were interested. Harry couldn't stop the grin from erupting on his face as he gazed at his boyfriend who had seemingly enjoyed his Christmas with Harry and his family. He adored Draco and found him to be completely adorable as he rattled off all the exciting information he had learnt from his trips with Harry into the Muggle world, and all the things he wished was a part of Wizarding culture and everyday life.

Harry couldn't help chuckling as he went back to his task, acknowledging the footsteps coming from the right, but waiting for the person who had entered the room to speak first.

"Harry, why did Draco get everyone pens for Christmas? And why was he so excited about them?" It was a reasonable question, well form anyone with knowledge of the Muggle world it was. He had kind of been expecting it from Hermione, she had clearly appreciated the planner she had received from Draco, but Harry had seen her slightly confused expression at the sight of the elegant fountain pen paired with it.

"I couldn't say no to him Hermione. I don't think I've seen him that happy in a long time to be honest with you. If giving every single wizard in Britain a pen is going to make him that happy, then I'll buy him his own bloody stationery shop if I have to. Draco just loves new things, and I think it was the first thing in the Muggle world that he connected with, in a weird way, like it was the first thing that he saw that negated everything his father had every taught him about Muggles. He clung to it." That was enough of a reason for Harry to indulge his boyfriend in buying everyone pens for Christmas, and was apparently enough for Hermione, who nodded her head and went back to enjoying the fun with the rest of the Weasleys.

Later that evening as the couple exchanged gifts together, choosing to share their personal presents more privately, Harry watched as Draco's eyes lit up and he smiled in pure joy opening the beautifully expensive stationery set. A gold and a silver fountain pen with his names etched into them sat flush in a small wooden box, padded on the inside in emerald velvet. A sharp and stunningly crafted letter opener with an ornate dragon wrapped around its handle completed the set. Draco was buzzing with pure excitement as his fingers flitted over the present, and his mouth opened and closed, unable to get the words out.

"I love you Draco," was all that Harry could say in that moment as grey and green eyes met, pure love and affection flowing between them. A multitude of words had been left unsaid and neither had expected the moment to come so quickly and so heavily, and yet it felt so right. To say those words to Draco, to Malfoy of all people, it felt unequivocally right.

"I love you too Harry." That was all that he needed to hear.


End file.
